WHILE some gains have been made in the battlefield, the fight against militancy may be veering towards defeat in the more important theatre of hearts and minds.

The recent arrest in Karachi of four men of highly educated backgrounds, for providing financial support to and brainwashing the murderers of Safoora Goth shows how far and deep the mindset of militancy has spread.

The narrative of militancy is no longer confined only to the madressahs, but has found its way into mainstream educational institutions, seducing even those who have no dearth of opportunity and space in society.

Also read: Four well-educated men held on terrorism charge

The growing number of cases of involvement in militant violence by individuals with jobs, businesses and sound educational credentials is cause for deep alarm. It can no longer be claimed that this is a fight being waged by marginalised segments of society, nor is it confined to those who never had a place at the table.

It is becoming a bigger fight to define who we are and what we are fighting for.

And the inability of the authorities to advance a convincing case in this theatre is what is fuelling the spread of the militant narrative in all directions.

At the very heart of this failure to present a case against militancy is the failure to publicly own and acknowledge the mistakes of the past.

The biggest of these past mistakes was the belief that militants could be used as tools of foreign policy to project power in deniable ways in neighbouring countries.

Until 9/11, militant groups were actively nurtured on Pakistani soil. After 9/11, Gen Musharraf tried to change direction, declaring some of these outfits banned organisations, such as Lashkar-e- Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad. But many members of these groups decided to carry on their fight, with Pakistan and its people as their newest enemies.

The state has failed to explain to the people that a flawed policy was being followed, one that needed correction; as a result of this failure, the perception has spread that the fight is being waged only to please the United States.

The unfortunate result of this is that all attempts to own the fight and say ‘this is our war’ seem to lack conviction in the eyes of the wider public, creating widespread confusion about the war. In that confusion, which engulfs all, the narrative of the militants and the claim that the state of Pakistan has sold itself to foreign interests finds fertile ground.

To really win this fight, the confusion needs to be cleared up and the moral high ground reclaimed; the public needs to be told clearly and convincingly that we are in this fight because of our own past mistakes and are not fighting simply at the behest of somebody else. It is a task that must be undertaken soon.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2015